The injury risk primarily depends on the types of goods the delivery worker handles.
Delivery workers often have to work long hours day and night. While we may not think of this job as a particularly risky one, it does carry certain risks, and delivery workers often sustain serious injuries or develop work related illnesses. In this article, we will discuss the key risks faced by delivery workers, and what rights they have in case they get injured.
Common Workplace Injuries Suffered by Delivery Workers
Delivery workers can sustain a wide variety of injuries and illnesses in the workplace. One of the most common injuries they suffer from are musculoskeletal disorders of various types. These disorders can affect any part of the body, but the most commonly affected are the neck, back and the upper torso. This is because of the loading and unloading activities these workers perform.
The injury risk primarily depends on the types of goods the delivery worker handles. For example, heavy cartons, boxes and containers can put more stress on the worker’s body and cause injuries that can eventually render the worker unable to work.
Delivery workers can also suffer injuries from slips, trips and falls when moving goods from a truck or van to the delivery location. The worker can slip on a pool of water or trip over an uneven surface while carrying the cartons.
Ankle injuries and a sprained wrist are also quite common among delivery workers. These injuries can result in a claim from disability benefits. However, because these injuries are only likely to be temporary in nature, they may be awarded temporary total disability if the worker cannot return to work for a short period of time. The worker may be given lighter duties if the worker can still work. In this case, the worker can still receive temporary partial disability benefits.
Employee vs. Independent Contractor
If you are a delivery worker, it is important for you to know whether you are working as an employee or an independent contractor. This classification can make all the difference when it comes to your workers compensation claim, because only employees can receive workers compensation benefits.
Types of Benefits
If a worker suffers serious injuries and is permanently affected by the workplace injury and yet manages to return to work after recovering from the injury, he/she may be awarded permanent partial disability.
A permanent total disability benefit is usually awarded to compensate for a serious work related injury such as a brain injury or spinal damage that leads to paralysis and means that the worker can never return to work.
St. Louis Work Comp Lawyer
If you have been injured at work and are having difficulty getting the benefits you need, contact the Law Office of James M. Hoffmann today. For more than 20 years, we have been helping injured workers get the workers compensation benefits they need and deserve. Call us at (314) 361-4300 or fill out our online contact form to request a free consultation.